Max Remy: A Twist in Time
by Wednesdaay
Summary: China is slowly disappearing; antiques in The Forbidden City, blocks of stone from the Great Wall, Pandas under conservation. Can Max, Linden, Toby and new agent Susie find out what is happening before the entire country -and themselves- are gone forever?
1. Chapter 1, Part 1, Lurking Beneath

Anyway, here's a new fanfic :) It actually isn't mine. It's a friends (nudge.Liz.nudge). I'm just posting it here for her :)

**Disclaimer:** Max Remy is copyright to Deborah Abela and Random House. Liz and I own nothing! Well...Liz owns the plot, and all characters who aren't in the original Max Remy books.

**CHAPTER 1, PART 1 – LURKING BENEATH**

_'So, Maxine, are you ready to finally die a slow and painful death?' Blue's deep voice thundered through Max's head like a stampede of wild antelope. She pushed her chin closer to her chest, trying to ignore the torture of Blue's voice, but by doing that, she had made the fatal mistake of looking down. She shot her head back up as quickly as she could, trying to block another image out of her throbbing mind._

_Blue saw Max's sudden look of despair. 'What's wrong, Maxine? Aren't we high enough for you?' Max didn't see the need to respond._

_The blank look on Blue's face curved into a smirk as he saw Max continue to sway roughly backwards and forwards as she struggled against her ropes. He finally had her right where he wanted her._

_Max had tracked Blue, and his somewhat dim-witted assistant Kronch, to an old warehouse in the small country Tajikistan, in Central Asia. She had thought she had finally corned him, but the tables had been turned. Max had been tied up, stripped of her backpack and everything she had in possession (Blue really wasn't mucking around) and hung on a thin metal rod over the side of the nearby 300m high Nurek Dam, the tallest dam in the world._

_Max took a quick look below. The water lay beneath her, but even though it was still, it looked as threatening as a kilometre wide whirlpool that was about the swallow her whole. Max gulped, then turned her attention back to Blue, who seemed to be enjoying this all a little too much._

_Blue clapped his hands together and took a few steps towards the metal railing that travelled around the edge of the dam. He lent on it, and poised one his index finger over an over-large red button. His eyes widened slightly in suspense. 'Are there any last requests, Maxine?'_

_'It's Max,' she replied dryly. She was really getting sick of him calling her that. Max waited a few moments before replying with 'Letting me go would be a good start.'_

_'You know I can't do that,' Blue chuckled. He nodded to Kronch, who leant forward and turned a small handle attached to something Max would of thought was made from an old, rusted-down clothesline. The metal pole she was attached to stretched out further towards the reservoir with each revolution._

_'Goodbye, Maxine Anne Remy,' Blue yelled out to her, overdramatically. 'Its been nice battling against you.' He gave her one last creepy smile, before he pushed down hard on the button._

_Max swayed loosely, suspended at the end of the pole. Then the hook gave way, and she fell. Blue watched her disappear into the shadows._


	2. Chapter 1, Part 2, All Washed out

**Disclaimer (do I really need to do this?): Not mine! Or Liz's! Plot's Liz's, though...and everything else not by Deb...**

**CHAPTER 1, PART 2 – ALL WASHED OUT**

For the first second of her descent, Max thought she was flying. The next few second felt like she was bungee jumping; she hoped that she would continue to hurtle down towards the water until the end of her rope was reached, and then her body would be flung back up towards the top. But after she had fallen about a third of the way down, realization swept over Max like a sandstorm in the desert. She was going to die.

There seemed to be no escape from this one. Max was going to be washed out, literally, and then surface of the water was gaining fast. Max cursed at her self for all the things she had done, and all the things she should have done. Life flashed before her eyes, as did the gleam from sun hitting the reservoir. She closed her eyes tightly, took the biggest breath of air she possible could, and waited for the water to come to her.

Blue learnt over the railing to watch. Kronch joined him just in time to see Max limp body hit the water. There was an almighty splash, a few ripples in the water then nothing. It looked like nobody had interfered with the peace at all.

Under the surface, Max slowly opened her eyes. Everything was murky and blurred. _So this is what heaven looks like,_ was her first thought. But after her eyes started to adjust, she realised it was water. _Water? I'm still alive!_ She smirked. _Blue has defiantly underestimated me again. But just wait until I get out of here. I'm going to let him have it. _

Max found a couple of flaws with that plan. Firstly, she was desperately in need of some oxygen, so she needed to get to the surface as quickly as possible. But as she kicked through the water, and tried to push her way up, she discovered problem number two. She was being pulled down by the reservoirs current (which Max believed must have been Blue's doing), and it was so strong that she couldn't reach the surface!

Max groaned and said a few swear words in her head. Her face was tinting blue because of the lack of oxygen in her lungs. Max was also quite exhausted. She forced her arms through the water, but it was as effective as swatting a fly away on a hot summer afternoon.

But Max wasn't going to give up. She swung her arms through the water again, and kicked hard with her legs. _Come on, you're almost there! Just a few more-_

-------ooOoo---------

'ARGGH!' Max opened her eyes suddenly and darted them around her. Then she let out a sigh when she realized where she was. She was at Ben and Eleanor's house in the Australian country town of Mindawarra, lying in the "sleep-out"; a bed set up on the back veranda. Everything seemed normal, Max realized, except for one thing.

Max patted her wet pillow and wet hair. No wonder her dream had been so life-like. She opened her eyes a little and adjusted them to the light, before she carefully scanned around looking for the culprit.

Out of the corner of her eye she noticed some blonde hair, stuck out like the back of an echidna. The owner of the hair was looking over her, holding a now nearly empty glass in his hand. Max narrowed her eyes, just as a drop of water fell from her fringe.

Linden.


	3. Chapter 1, Part 3, Shadows and Dreams

**Disclaimer: same as last time...**

**CHAPTER 1, PART 3 – SHADOWS AND DREAMS**

Linden didn't seem to notice the annoyance on Max's face as he poured the last few drops from the glass onto her forehead. 'Wakey, wakey, sleeping beauty.' He looked down at a grumpy Max for a moment, then back up at the empty cup in his hand. 'Oh, come on. I tried everything else to wake you up!'

Max wasn't really convinced, but as she couldn't help but smile. Linden did that. He always made her feel better.

Linden grinned back. 'Breakfast is on the table. I'll see you in the kitchen.' Then he left, letting the door slowly swing shut behind him.

Max slowly got off her creaking bed. Avoiding the puddle of water that had been formed on the floor, she grabbed her towel and a change of clothes. But as she reached for the doorknob on the bathroom door, something rushed through her mind. What was with that dream?

The oddest thing was Blue. _He's dead! I saw him fall to his death in the portal room!_ ( See Part 6: Blue's Revenge) It just didn't make sense. _Maybe it was some kind of clue?_

Max shook her head. Something else was bugging her. _What about Linden? He's my partner! We are always side-by-side. Why not then?_

'Max, you need to relax. You're just overreacting,' she scolded herself. 'It was just a dream anyway. Dreams never come true.' Max spun the knob in her hand and pushed the door open. 'At least not for me,' she added quietly.

It was a quite a hot day in Mindawarra, but Max felt a sudden chill as she shut the door behind her. If she had poked her head out just a few seconds later, she may have seen the figure on the veranda peep out from the shadows, jump off the railing, and land with a small and quiet "thud" on the wooden flooring. A shadowy figure that had been watching and listening to everything.

'Oh really, Maxine?' the figure answered quietly in reply. Her voice was low and chilling, but it had a soft and kind tone at the same time. She took a piece of her long black hair and curled it around her index finger, which held a golden ring with a large ruby gemstone. The piece of hair was let go, and it swayed momentarily in front of a pair of dark brown eyes. 'Dreams come true all the time,' she softly told the closed bathroom door. 'Especially mine.'

She let out a laugh, one that some people may have classed as sinister. Then she gave the room one last glance, before she silently disappeared in a small flash of purple light.


	4. Chapter 2, Part 1, Secret Project

**Disclaimer:** Same as always...

**CHAPTER 2, PART 1 – SECRET PROJECT**

Max, now dressed in a bright green short-sleeved t-shirt - with a blue butterfly printed on one side - and a pair of dark-navy baggy pants, ventured out into to kitchen. The scene before her was the same one she saw most mornings when she was at the farm. A half finished plate layered with bacon and eggs, toast smothered with butter and vegemite. Cereal boxes, a carton of milk, and a bowl of filled with apples, grapes, bananas and oranges were all squashed in together on a table.

Max peered over the table to find her aunt Eleanor and Linden. Linden was shoving pancakes into his mouth like it was the end of the world. Max rolled her eyes, grabbed an apple from the bowl and sat next to her aunt. She took a large bite out of the Granny Smith in her palm.

Eleanor flashed her a smile. 'Good morning, Max.' But then she shook her head a little. 'I know you're a late riser, but really, 11am?'

Max glanced up at the analog clock on the wall, gulped, and instantly regretted staying up all night writing. If she had been at home with her mother, she would have been sitting through a painful lecture about 'time is money' and 'you need to learn to organise yourself.' At least it wasn't that way out with her uncle and aunt. Still, just in case, Max swiftly came up with a somewhat realistic lie. 'Uh, I'm still kind of jet lagged from our last mission.' ( See Part 9: The French Code)

Linden let out a laugh like sound through a mouthful of pancake. 'Max, we got back from France at least a month ago. You can't still be jetlagged. We weren't even there for that-'

Max shot Linden a 'Don't remind her!' look. Linden quickly took the hint, shut up, and went back to his breakfast. Eleanor glanced at both of them in confusion. Max then decided that now would be a good time to change the subject. 'Where's Ben and Francis?' she asked.

Eleanor nodded her head towards the fly screen door. 'Oh, they've been working in the shed all morning.' Ben and Eleanor, as well as Ben's brother Francis, had all worked in London as top scientists. There had been a fall out between the two siblings, but with Max and Linden on the case, they were able to bring Francis and the wonderful device the two brothers had created, the Time and Space Machine, back to Australia. ( See Part 1: In Search for the Time and Space Machine).

Linden looked up. 'What are they working on?'

'They aren't changing the Time and Space Machine again, are they?' Max added with a groan. The last time Ben and Francis had 'updated' the Time and Space Machine, it had been spread out all over the lab in hundreds of pieces. Max had panicked and worried that it would never be finished.

'Sort of. They are working on a … secret project,' Eleanor told them.

Max and Linden blinked. 'A secret project?' they asked in unison.

Eleanor chuckled as pushed the side door open. It took quite a lot of effort to do so against the strong winds, but when she finally got it open, she held that way for Max and Linden. 'Come on,' she told them, while pieces of her fringe flapped over her face in the wind. 'Let's go see how they are doing.'


	5. Chapter 2, Part 2, An Unexpected Blow

Do I really need to do the disclaimer? Please review, someone!!!

**CHAPTER 2, PART 2: AN UNEXPECTED BLOW**

'By why are we going to the shed?' Max asked Eleanor as she carefully pushed the door of the shed open. 'What happened to your lab under the house?'

Eleanor let Linden and Max past, and then shut the door. It creaked before slotting back into position. 'We had some... technical difficulties,' she told them. 'Bit of water damage on the machinery. We decided to relocate in here while it was getting fixed.' She glanced around the shed and let out a sigh. 'I prefer it in here. It feels more home-y feel.'

The shed, as it always used to, looked like a tornado, a tsunami and a herd of elephants had all passed through, leaving behind a trail of destruction. Half finished gadgets lay everywhere, as well as boxes and containers that held anything and everything scientific you could think of.

In one corner was a lounge area. There were beanbags, comfy chairs, and a coffee table that sat on a big fluffy rug. Ben (and Francis) used this part of the shed for relaxing, thinking up new ideas, or maybe for a quick unnoticed catnap after a long day of inventing. This section of the 'lab' also had a projection screen.

On another side of the shed were a couple of bookcases. Each one was filled with encyclopaedias, manuals and trinkets, as well as medals, trophies and other awards, stacked high on the shelves. There was also a raised platform, where the majority of the laboratory was.

Then, in between all the rubble, stood a frazzled Ben and Francis. They were leaning over a round table tinkering with something. They were so absorbed in their work that they hadn't even noticed the three come in.

Max tapped her uncle on the shoulder. 'Ben?' she asked. 'What-cha doing?'

Ben and Francis spun around in surprise. Max saw Francis swiftly pull a white sheet over the table, hiding whatever they had been working on. They said their greetings, and asked how everyone had slept, but Max ignored them. She got straight to the point.

'Eleanor said you're working on a 'secret project',' Max said with curiosity and raised eyebrows. 'Can we see it?' Linden stood beside Max and nodded in agreement.

Ben glanced toward Eleanor, who replied with a playful shrug. 'They asked what you were working on. What else could I say?'

Francis smiled and turned to his brother. 'Fair enough. Come on, lets show them that completed prototype.'

Ben addressed the group in a formal un-Ben like voice. 'Ladies and gentleman,' he smiled down at Linden. 'We would like to present to you, the latest advancement of the Time and Space Machine.'

Linden noticed Max's shoulders drop. _They did change it again._

'Francis, if you would.' Ben's brother grabbed a corner of the white sheet he had placed over the table and prepared to pull it off. But he got no more then a centimetre before there was a mighty "crash" on the side of the shed. The walls trembled above them. Max dropped to the floor, hands over her head, as she braced herself for the impact.


	6. Chapter 2, Part 3, And Pigs Will Fly

Disclaimer: Same as always…SOMEONE REVIEW! PLEASE!

**CHAPTER 2, PART 3 – AND PIGS WILL FLY**

When the rumbling had stopped and the dust had settled, Max cautiously glanced up. She was met with four pairs of staring eyes that belonged to people - she realized – who weren't as cautious as she was. She lifted herself from the floor to avoid further embarrassment. Linden only just managed to hold back his laughter.

Max's face scrunched up in annoyance. 'What on earth was that?'

'It was probably Larry,' Ben said casually, like things like that happened everyday. 'Oh, don't worry Max,' Ben then said in reply to her raised eyebrows and widened eyes. 'He's fine. He's got tough skin, that pig.'

Larry was Ben and Eleanor's pet pig. They were convinced that he could predict the weather, but Max thought they were completely insane to believe such a thing. These were the people who had worked in London as top scientists. She found that hard to accept, even though it was 100 true.

Max couldn't believe what she was actually asking. 'What's he doing? … Morse code?' The last time Max had been down on the farm, Larry had been learning the art of the dashes and dots (See Part 8: Mission in Malta). Well, at least that was what she was told.

'Nope. He's mastered that already.' Ben sounded like the proud parent of a genius.

'He tried sign language, but it was a bit difficult.' Linden added. 'You know, with the hooves and all.'

'Then what is he doing?' Max was starting to get impatient.

'Flight.' Francis decided he wanted to join in on the conversation. 'He's doing a good job to; I saw the lad get a good 5 meters this morning.' Ben, Eleanor and Linden nodded in agreement. Max shook her head.

'Go and look,' Linden told her.

Max poked her head out of the shed and peered around. _The wind is sure strong today,_ she thought. Trees were swaying backwards and forwards, leaves were falling left and right, and dust was getting everywhere. Max squinted past her flapping fringe, and noticed Larry not that far away. He was pushing dirt into a pile. It looked like he was fixing up a ramp of some kind. Max rolled her eyes and slammed the door shut.

'Yeah right,' she said sarcastically as she approached the four. 'And pigs will fly.' The words came out of her mouth before she even realized what she had said them. Linden opened his mouth the say something, but Max cut him short.

'Anyway, can we see this project now?'

'Sure thing.' Ben walked back over to his brother and addressed the three once more. 'As I was saying, we would like to show you all the latest advancement of the Time and Space Machine. Behold!'

Francis whipped off the cover and all eyes fell onto the table.

Max drooped with disappointment. 'That's it? A tiny little ring?'


	7. Chapter 2, Part 4, In A Flash

**Disclaimer: **Don't own it!

**CHAPTER 2, PART 4 – IN A FLASH**

'What do you mean: 'That's it?'? This is probably the greatest time and space device ever created!' Francis exclaimed, his eyes going wild.

Linden shared Max's disappointment. 'It's a ring. I don't see what's so special about it.' He looked over at the shiny object. It was made from pure gold and in the centre was a huge ruby gemstone. The whole thing glistened in the sunlight that shown through the closed window.

Linden whistled. 'It's pretty nice, though. What do you think, Max?' he asked with a wink. Max rolled her eyes.

'We thought such an important invention should look good as well.' He gleamed. 'Want me to show you how it works?' He looked down at Max and gave her a nod and a smile. 'I'll need a volunteer.'

Max sighed and reluctantly walked up to her uncle. He handed her the ring and she slipped it onto her finger. It was a perfect fit.

'Looks good on you, Max. See? It's quite low-key.'

'Oh no, carrying a massive jewel on your hand isn't suspicious at all.' Linden slid up next to Max, looking hopeful. 'Got one for me?'

'Sorry. We've only been able to get one perfected.' Linden's face sank. 'But we are working on others.' Ben motioned to the table. Max couldn't even recognise half of the pieces that lay there, but there was a lot of it. How Ben and Francis made stuff like that into Time and Space Machines, she would never know.

'Before you can do anything, you'll have to turn the ring on,' Ben said, interrupting Max's thoughts.

Max gazed down at the ring on her finger. She couldn't see any off/on switch anywhere. 'How do I do that?'

'Just press the ruby,' all three adults said in harmony.

As Max did just that, the whole ring lit up in a swirl of red and purple light. Then after a few seconds, the light faded to leave the ruby tinted with the hint of magenta. 'Now what?'

'You need to think of someplace you would like to travel to.' Ben said proudly. 'Instead of programming where you want to travel, or having to outline the object that you want to travel, all you have to do is think of a destination while the ring is on and you'll be there in a flash.'

Francis beamed. 'Literally.'

'Cool.' Max closed her eyes and thought about somewhere to visit. She could go back to Venice, or France, or maybe off to Spyforce for a quick visit. Or she could visit sites all over the world, and she wouldn't even have to lift a finger.

'Don't go too far away! It's not completely error free yet!' Francis warned, but it was too late. Max had vanished, leaving behind only a faint glowing aurora of purple light.


	8. Chapter 3, Part 1, Ready to Strike

**CHAPTER 3, PART 1 – READY TO STRIKE**

In Mindawarra, there were two people who were not enjoying the recent weather. They sat silently on two fence posts - about 2 paddocks over from Ben and Francis' laboratory - like owls watching their prey. Any minute now one of the aggressive birds would swoop down for the kill, snatching their helpless prey off the ground. All they need is the right timing…

One figure – a tall teenager with straight black hair and dark brown eyes – looked quite impatient. Her crossed arms were sheltered from the wind by a midnight black jacket and her legs were covered in dark denim. Her hair swayed backwards and forwards fiercely in the cruel conditions. One of the toes of her high-heeled leather boots repetitively tapped the ground in annoyance.

'Have you seen anything yet?' she asked the other figure in an icy tone. It sounded more like a threat then a question.

The other girl, who was maybe two or three years younger, lowered her binoculars and turned. Her hair was sheltered under a large blue hood, but small red curls stuck out from underneath it. She peered at the teenage girl with her own pair of dark brown eyes. 'If I had seen anything, I would of told you, wouldn't I?' She rolled her eyes and turned back to her spying.

A few seconds later, she spun around again. 'Why are we doing this, anyway?'

'I think it'd be better if you didn't ask questions, and just did the job your supposed to be doing.' The teenager peered past the other figure towards the large shed. 'I really don't want to do this all again,' she said in a harsh whisper as she played with the ring on her finger.

The younger girl groaned. Then there was a sparkle in her eyes, and she smirked. 'Don't speak to me like that, missy.' She folded her arms and lay them on her chest. 'All your _perfect_ plans are in my hands, remember? I don't have to do any of this.'

'Then you'll be screwing up your own future, dummy.' The crow rolled her eyes in disgust.

The younger of the two was about to retaliate, but before she could open her mouth, she noticed something out of the corner of her eye. She lunged towards the binoculars and picked them up in one fine swoop. She leant forward on the fence post in curiosity, peering out into the chaotic wind. 'Something's happening,' she almost whispered.

The teenager leapt forward. 'Give me those!' she commanded, but she swiped the binoculars out of the girl's grasp before she could answer. She peered at the shed before a grin curved onto her face. 'Perfect. Absolutely perfect.'


	9. Chapter 3,Part2,Whirlpool of Opportunity

**CHAPTER 3, PART 2 – A WHIRLPOOL OF OPPORTUNITY**

Max couldn't believe what was happening. All around her swirled bright lines of colour; green and blue on one side, yellow and red on the other. They began to intertwine, becoming a rainbow of light that spun around Max like she was inside a washing machine. She cautious put out her hand and watched in amazement, as the colours brushed through her fingers, like sand would weave through her toes at the beach.

Then something strange happened.

The colours started the spin faster. Soon they had all mixed together, except for one streak of purple that became a blurred line in the black spin. Max blinked, trying to work out what has happening. She was floating in something; that was all she could understand.

She took a quick peak below her, and suddenly felt queasy.

Max couldn't do anything to stop her self from being sucked into the whirlpool of purple. All she could do was close her eyes and brace her self for whatever would happen next.

The redhead gleamed. 'So, I did well, huh?'

'Oh yeah, brilliant.' The teenager said, a hint of sarcasm in her reply. 'I see a shed, a few trees, and a pig trying to fly.' She turned to give the redhead a big cheesy grin, which suddenly dropped like a piano falling off a building. 'Stop wasting my time!' she growled, her voice now louder and a lot more annoyed.

The redhead stumbled back in confusion. 'What about, "Perfect. Absolutely perfect."?'

'Yeah, you're perfect; perfectly stupid!'

The girl clenched her fists and tried to reason. 'No, I _swear_ I saw something! There was a flash… and then, uh, there was a-' Her stammering was promptly interrupted when the pair of binoculars flew into her chest, almost knocking the poor girl over. The girl looked up, ready to give the teenager her best glare and a smart comeback, but she had already retreated to the fence post, and was muttering and mumbling under her breath.

Moments of awkward silence passed. The redhead twiddled the cord of the binoculars between her fingers, hoping that the teenager would suddenly turn and apologize, saying that the whole ordeal was her own fault.

But she never did. The crow sat, legs and arms crossed, staring out towards the shed, her face as blank as stone. Then her eyes suddenly widened, and she leapt from the post, hurrying down the paddock. When the redhead also turned and looked, she felt like doing the same.

'See! That is why _I_ am the evil genius, and not you.' The teenager smirked, and pointed out towards the shed. '**That** is what I've been waiting to see all this time.'

The redhead was almost speechless. 'But-but that's what I… saw…' Her voice trailed off into the soggy earth beneath. 'But I wouldn't say genius,' she added quietly.

It was a glorious site from where they stood. The southern wall of the shed was painted in an aurora of purple light, like a thick early morning fog. Then, as the colour began to slowly melt away, out rose a figure, like a ghost rising from a grave.

The redhead sat by the fence and watched in trance, until something landed in her lap and she was immediately flung back to reality. 'What's this?' She held up a small cardboard box and looked at it, puzzled.

'Everything you need to know.' The teenager, now a lot less crow-like, put an arm around the redhead and grinned. The ruby ring on her hand sparkled, giving off a pulse of energy.

'Welcome aboard! Training starts tomorrow.'


	10. Chapter 4, Part 1, A Sunken Dread

**CHAPTER 4, PART 1 – A SUNKEN DREAD**

Agent Max Remy sat on top of the submarine that bobbled silently at the shore. She gazed out into the stretch of water that lay before her and was disgusted at what she saw.

'We have to get from here,' she told her partner Linden Franklin as she pointed to the ground beneath her feet, 'to there.' She waved her hand towards the middle of Loch Ness, where a strange black liquid had been spread out, floating over half of the loch. Oil? Or something else…

Max disappeared into the submarine, and Linden followed her, but only after he gave one last glance to the calm surface and land he wanted to be on.

Strange sightings of the famous "Loch Ness Monster" were a common part of Scotland. But something even more unusual was at foot. Dangerous substances were polluting the grand freshwater loch, and no one knew where it was coming from. 

That was why Max and Linden were at the bottom of the loch, and Linden was quite edgy about the whole ordeal.

'Uh, Max?'

'Yeah?' Max didn't look up as she worked the controls of the vessel. Her fingers flew across the buttons in a blur. 

'I know this is going to sound strange, but do you believe in Nessie?' Linden looked out through the porthole as they slowly and silently descended through the water. Most of the colour had disappeared from his face.

Max let out a laugh. 'Please, Linden. The "Loch Ness Monster" is not real. It's a fable, a mythical story. You don't really believe a creature lives down here, do you?'

Silence echoed through the cabin. 'Linden?' Max sighed and put the submarine into auto drive. The craft slowly slipped through the murky water, heading toward the contaminated area.

Max spun around her chair to face Linden, who was staring out of the porthole, a terrified look on his face. He flinched at even the slightest movement in the water outside.

Max got up and laid a supportive hand on Linden's shoulder. 'Linden, I am telling you, there is no such thing as the Loch Ness…'

An echoing bang hit the side of the ship so hard that Max and Linden were catapulted into the air, landing in heap in the corner of the small room. Though Max was slightly embarrassed, Linden was petrified. 'Max… what was that?' 

Max tried to be logical. 'Uh, strong currents maybe?' 

She stood up slowly, only to be knocked in Linden again, as another blow hit the side of the craft. 'Okay, maybe not.'

Then she realized something. Water was falling from the ceiling like it fell from the clouds in a storm. Max raced to the controls, hoping the water had not affected the electronics.

It had.

'See! Now do you believe Nessie exists?' Linden called over the splashing droplets. The submarine was quickly becoming a small swimming pool. 

Max ignored him. If there _was_ a monster out there, she wanted to stay in the submarine, and avoiding the risk of swimming to the surface. But in order to that, she needed the craft to work. Another strike hit the vessel and Max toppled into the control panel. 

'Linden, give me a hand!' The water was now up to her waist, and rising fast. Together, they tried to get the motor going again. All they needed was enough power to-

'Hey Max.' A figure suddenly appeared by Max's shoulder, and she jumped about a metre in the air. Max's startled hand sped along her notebook, leaving a blue biro mark from one corner on the page to the other. Her vision of Loch Ness and her underwater adventure had been washed out of her mind. Max was slightly disappointed.

She let out an annoyed groan. _What now? I can't even sit down for five minutes without someone…_

Max turned around towards her intruder with a scowl on her face, but it immediately turned into a gleaming smile when she realized who it was. 

'How do you do that?' Max hadn't heard anyone come in at all. Linden had this habit of showing up unexpectedly. 

Linden shrugged, flashing her a smile. He straightened. 'I just do.'

He looked down at the notebook that lay in her lap. 'Another Spyforce adventure?' he asked, nodding his head towards the book. 

'Uh, yeah...' She slowly closed her dog-eared notebook and laid it on the seat, before placing her blue pen on top. Then she looked back up at Linden. Linden stared back at Max, like he was under a spell. They sat in a pool of awkward silence for what Max felt was a century. 'So…' 

'Oh yeah!' Linden suddenly spoke up, like he had just awoken from a coma. He tore his eyes away from Max, slightly embarrassed. 'Ben told me to tell you that they've fixed up the ring, and they were hoping you'd come test it out again.' 

Linden grinned. Only a couple of weeks ago, Max's first turn with the ring had ended in disaster. She had arrived back at the shed covered in mud, dog hair (courtesy of an over affectionate Ralph) and half of Larry's dinner, after landing in his food trough. Messy landings had been something Max was used to, but Ben had promised he'd fix them up. 

No matter, Max jumped up from the bench, spilling her notebook and pen onto the veranda floor. Pieces of paper flew out of the book, which now looked like an upside down Japanese fan. The floorboards now had white papery layer. 

But Max didn't stop. Or notice. 'You mean we have been sitting here all this time, while there is a finished time travel device that needs testing?' 

Linden gave a weak smile. 'Sorry. I got a bit sidetracked.' Though he wanted to, Linden wasn't going to say that Max was the one who had got him so diverted from delivering his message.

'Hey, Max!' Linden called as he noticed her spilled notebook, but when he turned around, Max was almost out of the room. Linden caught the site of her blue joggers disappear out the door.

Linden sighed, and after scooping up the papers, book and pen, tucked it all under his arm and hurried off behind his partner.


End file.
